A Different Look At Things
by Tree Overlord
Summary: Cassia Potter spent most of her life trying to keep her brother and herself under the radar. Between her crappy relatives and an unforgiving school, Cassia doesn't exactly have a lot going for her. When she learns that she and Harry are magical, she can't bring herself to be surprised. Cassia always knew that Harry was destined for greatness.
1. Chapter 1

I have spent the past six years of my life developing Cassia from an awful mess into the character she is today. I've poured my heart and soul into this gal. I'd love it if you'd give her a chance.

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Cassia Potter was not planning on spending her eleventh birthday in an old shack on a rock in the middle of the sea, but there wasn't much she could do about it. After the letters to she and Harry refused to stop their incessant arrival, Uncle Vernon decided to take the family on an impromptu vacation. Cassia just wished it wasn't somewhere that she could practically feel the hypothermia setting in.

After a rather lackluster dinner and a failed attempt by Uncle Vernon to make a fire, Cassia and Harry were given the most threadbare blanket and were told to sleep. Cassia wondered how they were expected to sleep when it seemed as if the raging storm outside was going to wipe their little shack from the face of the earth, but she didn't say anything. She simply curled up on the ground with Harry and listened to the Dursleys impossibly loud snores.

Harry's foot nudged her leg, and Cassia looked up from where she had her face buried in Harry's chest, trying to get warm. "What?" she mumbled, hoping she was close enough to his ear that he could hear her above the storm and the Dursleys snoring.

"It's five minutes to our birthday," Harry informed her with a grin. "We're going to be eleven, Cassie."

Cassia smiled at Harry, not nearly as excited as him. Birthdays were just another day for her. The closest thing she'd ever gotten to a real present was a spatula when she and Harry turned eight because the Dursleys decided it was time for her to learn to cook. Worst of all, their birthday was in summer, so Cassia couldn't even guilt-trip some form of sweet from one of the teachers for her and Harry.

While Harry practically buzzed with excitement beside her, Cassia closed her eyes and hoped she'd be able to get to sleep. If the shack was going to be blown away, Cassia would prefer to drown in her sleep, thank you very much.

Cassia was certain she was on the verge of sleep when a booming knock came at the door. She bolted upright at the bang, her arm flinging out in front of Harry. There was another knock and Dudley sat up from his place on the couch, looking even more confused than usual. Uncle Vernon came into the room holding a gun, yelling threats at whoever was knocking on the shack door. Harry shoved Cassia's arm out of the way.

The door fell off of its hinges, crashing into the floor with a loud bang. There was someone standing in the doorway, his figure illuminated by a flash of lightning outside. He was the largest man Cassia had ever seen, with a large bushy beard that was probably bigger than her if she curled up into a ball. Cassia could just barely make out the man's eyes amidst all the hair.

The man ducked his head down so he could fit into the shack and picked the door up, shoving it back onto its hinges. Cassia tensed, resisting the urge to move in front of Harry again.

"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey."

Cassia stared at the man, the glare on her face being replaced with confusion. Those weren't the words she was expecting from a potential murderer giant.

The man ordered Dudley off of the couch. Cassia's cousin ran to hide behind Aunt Petunia, who was cowering behind Uncle Vernon. She wondered when her aunt had come in an exactly _why_ she'd want to face the intruder but brushed it away. She was more focused on the giant who had just broke down the door.

Apparently the man was focused on the twins too, because as soon as he banished Dudley, he turned to them, beaming. "Harry and Cassie!" Cassia winced at the nickname. Only Harry got to call her that, and rarely. "You know, the las' time I saw yeh, yeh were little babies. Spitting images of yer father, the both if yeh. Course, Harry got his mother's eyes." The man laughed and Cassia scowled at him. Just who did this man think he was, talking about her parents?

Uncle Vernon seemed to be wondering the same thing, because he raised his gun at the large man again, telling him in a shaking voice, "I demand you leave at once!"

"Ah, shut up Dursley, yeh great prune," the man told Uncle Vernon. He reached over, pulled the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hand and bent the end up like it was clay.

Uncle Vernon let out a noise that resembled a deflating balloon and Cassia stepped slightly ahead of Harry. Adults, or anyone stronger than them, were never a good thing.

The giant smiled at Harry and Cassia as he turned away from Uncle Vernon. "Anyway, happy birthday to yeh. I made yeh summant, but I mighta sat on it. Should still taste good though," Out of one of the pockets of his massive coat, the man pulled out a box, holding it out to the,.

Harry took it before Cassia could reject it, opening it up to reveal a chocolate cake. Written across it in green icing was 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY' then in smaller, more cramped writing, 'HARRY AND CASSY.' Cassia frowned at the cake, not understanding why they were given something so amazing from a stranger. She hadn't even had to try to convince the man to give it to them.

"Who are you?" Harry asked. Cassia flinched at his bluntness, praying the man wouldn't get mad.

"Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts," the man - Hagrid - told the twins in a rather proud voice. Cassia wondered if his title was supposed to mean something to her. "Now, what about that tea?"

Cassia shuffled to follow Hagrid's movements, remaining in front of Harry as the giant bent down in front of the fireplace. She knew Harry was glaring at her, but she didn't really care. Until she knew if this Hagrid was trustworthy, she wasn't letting her brother near him.

Hagrid moved away from the fireplace to show a fire flickering in the grate. Cassia and Harry stepped towards the sudden source of heat as Hagrid sat down on the couch. Cassia vaguely registered Hagrid pulling out a ridiculous assortment of items from his coat, but she was more focused on the chill being driven from her bones.

It wasn't until Hagrid started cooking sausages that Cassia realized something strange was happening. She edged away from the giant man's arm, tugging on Harry's sleeve "I don't like this," she mumbled in her twin's ear. "He's freaky."

"Cassie, he's not that bad," Harry protested. "I mean, he lit a fire for us and made us a cake for our birthday."

"You can't keep meat in your pockets," Cassia hissed. "It'll go bad and yet this man-"

"Here you are!" Hagrid interrupted. "All done." He handed Harry and Cassia a sausage each. Cassia eyed him nervously.

"Who are you?" she asked, reflecting Harry's previous question. She needed answers and she wasn't about to let Harry ask.

"Like I said, Hagrid, Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts," Hagrid answered.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we don't know what Hogwarts is," Harry said.

"Yes, what is it?" Cassia added. Better she ask the question than Harry.

"Yeh don't know what _Hogwarts_ is?" Hagrid asked, resembling someone who'd just been told their puppy was run over. Yeh mean, the Dursley's never told you what it was?"

"Sorry," Harry said.

"Yeh shouldn't be apologizing Harry," Hagrid said, annoyance seeping into his tone. "It's _them_ who should be sorry. I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters, but I never expected this. Yeh never wondered where you got it all? Where Lily and James learned it?"

Cassia was even more curious now. She couldn't care less about her parents, but this was getting interesting.

"STOP!" Vernon bellowed. Apparently his fear didn't extend to this. That only made Cassia more interested. "Right this instance! I _forbid_ you to tell them anything."

"You forbid me?" Hagrid said darkly, rising to his full height. Vernon squeaked and cowered away from him. Hagrid turned back to the twins and Cassia did her best to make herself look smaller. "Harry, Cassia, yer mum and dad, the two of yeh, yer magic. Wizards and witches, the lot of you. Dumbledore, he sent yeh with a letter explaining all of that, but I never thought yer aunt and uncle wouldn't _tell_ yeh what you were."

"Magic?" Harry breathed out. "But that-that's impossible. We're ordinary. We can't be-we just can't."

Cassia stayed silent as Harry babbled on. Her head suddenly felt very full. She knew Hagrid was right. She and Harry had never been normal. It was only natural they were made of something greater than the Dursleys. No wonder they wanted to keep it hidden from the twins. They were scared of being undermined.

Cassia wondered how soon she'd be able to punish the Dursleys for their treatment of her and Harry.

"Here are yer letters. You should read them now," Hagrid said, handing over the letters. Cassia ripped hers open, eyes scanning over the letter.

 _HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

 _Headmaster: ALBUS DuMBLEDORE_

 _(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

 _Dear Ms. Potter,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins September 1. We await you owl no later than July 31. Yours sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress_

"What does it mean by owl?" Harry asked, looking up from his letter. Hagrid's eyes lit up.

"Oh, that reminds me!"

He reached into his coat to pull out an owl. Cassia stared at it in amazement. How could an entire owl fit into the coat? And survive? Of course, the meat was still good and he did have all those kettles and things, and he _was_ part of the world of magic. But what spell would you have to use to keep the pockets deep enough for all those things, and keep the owl alive, and the meat fresh? Did it come with the coat, or did Hagrid enchant it himself?

"I can hear your brain running," Harry whispered to Cassia as Hagrid released the owl into the storm. "We'll figure this out later, let's just go with it for now."

Cassia stuck her tongue out at him, but did her best to try to keep her mind from analyzing every little thing. She didn't want to miss anything because she was stuck in her own head.

"They can't go," Vernon said suddenly. All eyes turned to him. His face was slowly turning from white to red, a sure sign of his impending anger. Cassia slowly placed herself in front of Harry.

"I'd like teh see a muggle like you stop them," Hagrid snorted.

"Muggle?" Harry blurted out.

"Non-magical folk," Hagrid answered. "And this lot are the biggest muggles I've ever seen."

"They can't go," Vernon repeated. "We took them in, but we swore we'd stomp out their… freakishness." Cassia flinched, realizing everything she and Harry had faced from the Dursleys was because of their heritage, because of something they were born as.

"You knew?" Harry asked. Cassia couldn't bring herself to get upset with Harry's question. She was too angry at her relatives, who kept this from them, abused Harry for years for no reason at all.

"Of course we knew," Petunia spat. "How could we not? Oh, my sister got a letter just like that, and every summer she was home, turning teacups into rats and waving around that wand of hers. She was a freak, and _I_ was the only one that saw that. Our parents were _proud_ of her, of having something like _that_ in the family. And then she met that Potter. They ran off and had you, and I knew you were going to be just as freakish, as abnormal, as them. And she went off and got herself blown up and _we_ were stuck with you!"

"You said they died in a car crash," Cassia said quietly. She had blamed her parents for such a long time for being stupid enough to get into a car accident. But if they hadn't, that meant it might not have been their fault. She could have been angry with them for nothing.

"Lily and James Potter, killed in a _car crash?_ " Hagrid yelled. Cassia shrunk in on herself, trying to become a smaller target. Neither twin had seen any good come from attracting the attention of large angry men. "How could Lily and James Potter have been killed in a car crash? The entire wizarding world knows their names, all the Potter's names, and you've been telling these kids their parents died in a car crash! It's an outrage!"

"What happened?" Harry asked. Cassia could hear the hunger for knowledge in his tone. He always cared more about their parents than she did. "To our parents, I mean."

"Oh, Harry," Hagrid sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat. The anger seemed to drain out of him in a mere heartbeat. Cassia couldn't say that bothered her. "I dunno if I'm the right person teh be telling you. I thought you'd know already. I mean, yer famous, the two of yeh. But yeh can't go to Hogwarts not knowing. Yeh just can't. It wouldn't be right. I'll try my best to explain.

"It starts with a person named-well, I don't like teh say it, but I suppose you won't have heard it before. He was real bad. People are still scared teh say his name. He was-" Hagrid cut himself off, shuddering. "He was the worst you could possibly get."

"So, what was he called?" Harry asked.

"Maybe you could write it down?" Cassia suggested.

"Dunno how teh spell it," Hagrid admitted. "His name was… Voldemort. There, don't make me say it again. Anyway, he got power hungry and started looking fer followers and people… well, they joined him. Some of them were scared, some of them just wanted a bit of power. Because he _was_ powerful, see. Those were dark times. Yeh couldn't trust anyone. And if yeh tried teh stand up teh him, he killed yeh.." Hagrid paused a moment, lost in thought. "Hogwarts was just about the only safe place left. Reckon You-Know-Who was too scared of Dumbledore to ever make a move on it.

"Yer mum and dad, they were right good witch and wizard. It's strange You-Know-Who never asked them to join him, but I reckon he knew they were too close to Dumbledore to want anything teh do with him.

"But one night, he showed up at yer house. No one knows why. But Halloween ten years ago, he showed up, and- and-" Hagrid cut himself off to blow his nose into a large handkerchief. "Sorry, I knew yer parents, nicer people yeh never met. But You-Know-Who, he, he killed em. And then, he tried teh kill the two of yeh, but the thing is, he failed. You two are the only people teh ever survive the killing curse. I mean, Harry, yeh never wondered where yer scar came from? I suppose Cassia got off lucky, without a mark, but Harry, yer cut is no ordinary thing. It's what happens when yer marked by a dangerous curse. He killed some of the greatest witches and wizards of that time, but you two, you survived, and yeh was only babies."

Cassia's heart squeezed in her chest. She always knew Harry was something special, that he was meant for greatness. And here was her proof. She grabbed Harry's hand in a scared sort of pride, and he looked up at her in shock. Cassia rarely initiated contact.

"I took yeh from yer house myself, brought yeh to this lot. But I never would've if I knew."

"Rubbish!" Vernon declared. Apparently he'd regained the ability to speak once again. Cassia moved back in front of Harry. "I admit, there's something odd about you two, but it's nothing a good beating shouldn't be able to take of you. Your parents were a bunch of freaks, and as far as I'm concerned, the world is much better off without them. They were asking for it, getting mixed up with all those wizarding types-"

"One more word," Hagrid thundered, leaping to his feet, jabbing his large pink umbrella in Vernon's direction. "One more word Dursley, I'm warning you."

Vernon flattened himself against the wall, apparently deciding that shutting up was the safest option to avoid being stabbed by an umbrella-wielding giant. Cassia would have laughed at that idea if she wasn't scared of being the next person to face Hagrid's wrath.

Hagrid sank back down into the couch. With a loud creak, the couch sagged to the floor, completely broken after so much abuse.

"So where did You-Know-Who go?" Harry asked. Cassia had to admit, she was curious about that too.

"Did he die?" Cassia asked,

"No one knows," Hagrid admitted. "He vanished that night. That's what makes yeh so famous. You-Know-Who was gettin' so powerful, and he just up and vanished.

"Some say he died, like how you asked, Cassia. Some say he's still out there, but a bunch of people came back over to our side. Came out of trances and such. They wouldn't have done that if he was still around, I reckon. But most people think that he's still out there, just lost his powers. Somethin' about the two of yeh stumped him, stripped away his power."

"But we can't be magic," Harry said. He looked to Cassia for support. "We just can't. We're ordinary."

Cassia frowned at him. Surely he would be prepared to accept his greatness. This meant they were special, they were meant for something. Why would he want to deny that?

"Yeh never made anything happen when yeh were scared or angry?" Hagrid asked. Harry's eyes lit up, and Cassia could tell he knew what Hagrid was talking about. Apparently Hagrid did too, as he beamed at the twins. "See? Harry and Cassia Potter, not magic. Yeh'll see, yeh'll be right famous at Hogwarts."

Cassia smiled at Harry. He blinked at her in shock, and smiled back. "We're magic," she whispered to him. "We're leaving."

"No," Vernon said loudly. "No, you are not going. They are going to Stonewall High and that's that. I've seen what's in those letters and they're not going."

"Well I'd like teh see you stop them," Hagrid snarled. "Harry and Cassia's names have been in the book since the second they were born! They are going to the finest wizarding school in the world and they'll be with youngsters of their own kind fer once. They'll be under the finest headmaster Hogwarts has ever seen, Albus Dumbledore-"

"I am not paying for some crackpot old fool to teach them magic tricks!"

Cassia shoved Harry back into the corner of the shack, getting him away from Hagrid as he let out a roar. He swung his umbrella over his head, pointing it at Dudley. A bright light and loud crack echoed around the room, and when Cassia could see again, Dudley was leaping around clutching at his bottom. A small, curly tail was poking out through his trousers.

Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley disappeared into the other room, slamming the door behind them. Hagrid sat down, smiling sheepishly. Cassia didn't let Harry get past her, knowing all too well that tempers didn't calm just like that. If anyone was going to be the target for the remaining rage, it was going to be Cassia, not Harry.

"Sorry, shouldn't have lost my temper like that," Hagrid admitted. "It didn't work the way it was supposed to anyways. He was supposed to turn into a pig, but I guess he was just too much like a pig to do much more. But, er, I'd be grateful if yeh didn't mention this to anyone at Hogwarts. Not supposed teh do magic, yeh see." He seemed to realize that Cassia was blocking Harry in the corner. "Well, what're yeh doing over there?"

Harry shoved pass Cassia. "Nothing."

"Yeh should probably get teh sleep," Hagrid said. He pulled off his overcoat, handing it to Harry who staggered slightly under the weight. "Yeh can use this, but it might wiggle a bit. Lots teh do tomorrow."

Harry settled down on the floor, lifting up the coat slightly so Cassia could lay down next to him. "We get to leave," he said softly. Cassia grinned.

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If you maybe want to talk to me about my beautiful daughter, come find me at cassia-potter on tumblr!


	2. Chapter 2

This chapter is almost double the last chapters length... oops?

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Cassia woke up to a tap-tap-tap coming from somewhere nearby. In Cassia's sleep addled mind, she wondered why Petunia wasn't yelling at the twins to get out of bed. The woman's wake up calls were almost always filled with insults and shrill shouts.

Harry sat up beside her and let out a gasp. Cassia's eyes snapped open in alarm. They were in the rickety shack, under Hagrid's coat. The giant of a man was snoring on the broken couch. Harry turned to Cassia, his eyes sparkling.

"It all really happened," Harry said with a wide grin. "Cassia, we're magic."

Cassia bumped Harry's shoulder with her own, unable to help her own grin. The tapping came again and the twins turned their gaze to where an owl was pecking at the window. They looked at each other in confusion. Before Cassia could say anything, Harry was at the window, letting in the owl. It dropped a paper on Hagrid's head and began pecking at the giant's coat.

"It might be looking for food," Cassia suggested to Harry.

"Hagrid, is there food for the owl?" Harry asked Hagrid.

"It wants to be paid," Hagrid grunted out, apparently somewhat awake now. "Give it some money, it's in the pockets."

Harry began digging through Hagrid's coat and eventually found a handful of something that might be money.

"Give im five knuts," Hagrid instructed. "Is the little brown ones."

The owl held out its leg. There was a small leather pouch attached to it. Harry dropped the five knuts into the pouch and the owl flew off.

"We oughta get going," Hagrid said, sitting up. "We hafta get to London to get all your things."

Cassia stared at Hagrid incredulously, wondering where exactly they would get supplies for witchcraft. She pictured Hagrid squeezing himself into one of the little new age shops and snorted at the picture. That would certainly be a sight.

"We don't have any money."

Harry spoke up suddenly, very slowly and carefully, and Cassia could see the anguish in his eyes. He wanted to go to Hogwarts desperately, possibly even more so than Cassia. The realization that they couldn't afford it hit him-hit both of them- like a bag of bricks.

Hagrid chuckled at the twins distraught faces, shaking his head. "D'yeh really think yer parents wouldn't leave you anything? Nah, we've got to stop at Gringotts, the wizarding bank. Yeh both have plenty o' money, trust me. Here, eat a sausage."

"Wizards have banks?" Harry asked.

"What's Gringotts like?" Cassia added. She picked up a sausage.

"It's run by goblins," Hagrid explained. Cassia and Harry exchanged a wide eyed look. Goblins? "Safest place on earth, side from Hogwarts o' course."

The group left quickly after they finished eating, exiting the shack to a bold, bright sky. There was only one boat, and it was the little dingy Vernon had used to bring them over in the first place. "How'd you get here?" Harry asked, echoing Cassia's thoughts.

"Flew."

"You _flew_?" The question tumbled out of Cassia's mouth before she could stop it. "Sorry," she added quickly.

Hagrid shrugged. He directed the twins to the boat, mumbling something about not being allowed to do magic. Cassia frowned, curiosity peaked. Why wouldn´t Hagrid be allowed to use magic?

"I don't s'pose you'd keep it to yerselves if I sped up the trip a bit?" Hagrid held his umbrella in his hands almost nervously.

Harry agreed quickly and Cassia nodded, filing this bit of information into the back of her mind. It was always good to have something to hold over someone, even if Cassia might never have to use it.

Hagrid tapped his large pink umbrella on the side of the boat twice, and they were quickly speeding towards the shore. The large man unfolded his newspaper and Harry and Cassia exchanged looks. Cassia could tell her brother was buzzing with questions-she was as well-but they weren't about to bother him while he was reading. They'd learnt from Vernon long ago that interrupting someone while he was reading was a very bad idea.

"Ministry o' magic, messin' things up as usual," Hagrid grumbled, shaking his head at the newspaper as he turned the page. Harry perked up, words spilling out of his mouth.

"There's a Ministry of Magic?"

Cassia's arm flew out in front of Harry. The memory of one too many hard smacks for interrupting Vernon's paper was hard to forget and in the tiny boat there wasn't even a way to avoid the punishment.

Hagrid looked up from his paper, and either didn't notice Cassia's reaction or didn't mention it. Harry shoved Cassia's arm away, listening to Hagrid. "Course there's a Ministry. Without one, Muggles would know about wizards before you could blink." Hagrid snorted, mumbled under his breath, "Not that they seem teh be doing much good."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, and Cassia had to restrain herself from moving in front of Harry. Sure, Hagrid didn't seem to mind the questions now, but he was far bigger than Vernon and it was impossible to tell what would happen when he got tired of Harry's questions.

"Well, they wanted Albus Dumbledore as Minister o' course, only, he wouldn' leave Hogwarts. So instead they got Cornelius Fudge, an' he doesn' know a thing he's doing, so he's sending owls to Dumbledore ev'ry morning, begging for advice."

Hagrid fell silent, finishing up his paper, and Harry thankfully didn't ask anymore questions. Soon, the boat was bumping up against the docks, and Hagrid got out of the boat, quickly followed by Cassia and Harry.

Hagrid strode through the crowds, making loud comments about muggles and his amazement over them. Cassia wondered how Hagrid could say the Ministry was useless and then go around making it incredibly obvious that he wasn't normal, but didn't say anything. No matter how comfortable Harry seemed around the giant man, Cassia couldn't let herself relax. Adults were never good news, no matter what.

The group took the train to London, and Harry had to pay because Hagrid didn't understand the currency and kept shaking his head in amazement at the muggle money. Cassia thought it was rather odd to be taking a train to somewhere magical, but she supposed Hagrid was the expert when it came to these things. Although, as she watched him knit something that was large and horrendously yellow, it was hard to believe that he actually knew what he was doing.

Hagrid showed the twins the lists that were tucked in the letters, along with the invitations to Hogwarts. Cassia had no idea where they were supposed to get a cauldron or a magic wand, and was beginning to wonder if she'd caught pneumonia from the cold of the shack and this was all a vivid fever dream.

They finally got off the Underground, Hagrid complaining about muggles the entire way. They emerged onto a fairly normal looking street, and Cassia was seriously doubting her sanity in following this strange man to London. Before she could voice her concerns to Harry, they came to a stop in front of a dingy pub. Hagrid made a broad gesture, grinning at the dangerously filthy building. "Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron."

Cassia stared at the health code violation in uncertainty, wondering how such a place could help. Hagrid lead the way inside and Harry followed, with Cassia following after much more reluctantly.

The inside was just as dingy as the outside, but it did have a certain magical feel. For the first time since Hagrid had knocked down the door of the shack, all of this felt real. There was an old woman smoking in the corner and the smoke curled up in lazy dark blue spirals, occasionally making the shapes of different animals. A rag cleaned a set of glasses all on it's own, and a set of men were playing a card game with cards that seemed to be talking back to them. Despite the sleepy atmosphere, the entire place seemed to be buzzing with… something that made Cassia feel like she was home for the first time.

The quiet buzz of conversation dulled down as people gave their greetings to Hagrid, who seemed to be a regular patron at the Leaky Cauldron. The man behind the bar waved, grinning a toothless smile, and called, "The usual, Hagrid?"

"Nah, I can't. On Hogwarts business, yeh see." Hagrid puffed up slightly, obviously proud that he'd been trusted with such a task. "I've got to get the Potter twins their things."

The bar fell completely silent. Cassia froze at the number of eyes on her and Harry. They were all watching, they were going to ridicule and hurt them, and Hagrid would kick them until they bled while the crowd cheered on and she had to get out.

Cassia barely heard the whispers of "Harry Potter? Here?" Too busy trying to find an exit, a way to get her brother away from these people that would hurt them because that was what people always did. A woman stepped forward eagerly and Cassia jumped in front of Harry. If anyone was going to get hurt, it was going to be Cassia and not Harry.

The woman grabbed Cassia's hand and pulled it upwards, shaking it up and down. Cassia yanked away from the woman who was grinning madly. "Such a pleasure to meet Harry and Cassia Potter, such a pleasure."

Harry stepped around Cassia, offering his hand to the woman. She pounced on it like it was a piece of meat, shaking vigorously. "Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, the name's Doris Crockford."

"Pleased to meet you," Harry said. Cassia picked at her knuckles, longing to grab her brother and pull him far away from the crowd of people that seemed desperate to oogle them like zoo animals.

A large hand grabbed Cassia's shoulder and she ducked away from it, darting away from it and the crowd. She looked around frantically, trying to work out the best way to get Harry away and then never return here ever again.

"We've lots to do," Hagrid said loudly, causing the patrons of the bar to look at him. "We really must be going. C'mon, lots to do, let's go Harry." He pulled Harry away from the crowd and turned to Cassia. "C'mon Cassia, over here, this way."

He thankfully didn't grab for Cassia and she quickly hurried after him and Harry. He directed them out the back door and into a small courtyard.

"I told yeh, yer famous. Yer the saviors of the entire wizarding world!" Hagrid smiled at the twins.

Cassia grabbed Harry's hand as Hagrid began tapping at a brick wall with his pink umbrella. She didn't want fame. She didn't want fans. Being the center of attention was always bad news, Cassia had learned that long ago. The Dursleys had ensued that anytime someone noticed the Potters it was to punish or ridicule them.

Hagrid gave a soft cry of .excitement, pulling Cassia out of her thoughts. "Got it!" The wall curled in on itself, revealing a bustling street full of people and owls and all sorts of things Cassia had never seen before. "Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley."

They moved through the large archway in the bricks and Cassia kept a tight hold of Harry's hand. The narrow lane was bustling with people, all flitting about from shop to shop. Cassia kept her eyes fixed on the ground, determined not to make eye contact with anyone.

Even with Cassia's gaze cast down, she couldn't help but notice the interesting things happening around the alley. There was a pet store filled with owls and dancing rats. An apothecary's stench leaked out into the street, even with the windows and door shut tightly. There were airplanes and cranes flying in the air at a stationary shop, and a cauldron bubbled with pink froth next door. It was incredible.

As they walked, Cassia realized they were steadily making their way to the large white marble building that towered above everything else. She assumed it was Gringotts, the wizarding bank.

They walked up the steps where a strange creature dressed in red and gold stood guard outside the bronze doors. It had a tidy beard and long fingers, and stood a full head shorter than Cassia, which was impressive in itself. Cassia thought it might be a goblin. It bowed the three into the building. The large door had a poem engraved into it.

Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed,

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn.

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there.

Cassia shivered slightly, and trotted after Harry and Hagrid who had moved ahead of her while she was reading. The silver doors opened up into a large hall where hundreds more goblins were at work behind desks.

Hagrid led the way to a counter, where a goblin was carefully making marks in a ledger. "Hallo. I'm here to take some money from Harry and Cassia Potter's vault."

The goblin looked up from its ledger, frowning at Hagrid. "You have their key?"

Hagrid began to dig in his pockets and Cassia allowed her gaze to wander. He was certain to take a while with how deep his pockets were.

The hall's ceiling arched high into the air, letting light in through large windows lining the roof. Sconces lined the walls behind the goblins desks, for times when the sun didn't provide enough light to see by. Goblins appeared to be the only workers at the bank. Cassia couldn't help but wonder why.

"Here it is!" Hagrid said loudly, bringing Cassia back to the present. Clutched in his fist was a comically small golden key. "And I have a letter from Professor Dumbledore, orders to take You-Know-What from vault seven hundred and thirteen."

The goblin accepted the letter and the key, carefully examining both. "Very well. Griphook will escort you down to the vaults."

A goblin appeared, leading the way to to a door that opened up into a new hallway. This hallway was rough stone, lined with torches. A rail line was on the floor, moving downhill, and Griphook let out a whistle, causing a cart to come hurtling towards the group.

Cassia clambered in, shoving herself in the corner as far away from Hagrid and Griphook as she could get.

With a signal from Griphook, the cart began speeding along the track. They whizzed past stalactites and stalagmites jutting from the ceiling and floor like teeth, casting ominous shadows in the torchlight. The cart passed over a deep cavern, the bottom of which faded into the gloom. Cassia wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

They stopped in front of a massive door with a small keyhole at Griphook's level. He inserted the key and the door melted away in a cloud of green smoke. For a moment, Cassia thought the sun had been released into the cavern, until her vision cleared and she realized that the light was reflecting off more gold than Cassia has even thought existed in the world. She barely heard Hagrid as he explained how the different coins worked, too occupied with the amount of money that was now in her possession. She had real power, the ability to make anyone do what she wanted. With this amount of gold, anything was possible.

They made their way back to the cart and were off again, moving deeper into the bank. The air got colder as they went down further down and eventually the cart came to a stop in front of a vault. Hagrid and Griphook left the cart, the goblin opening the door to reveal a large chamber with a small dingy paper wrapped parcel lying on the ground. Hagrid quickly tucked the package away into his coat before Cassia could get a better look at it. Harry looked like he was burning with questions, but Cassia gave him a look and he thankfully kept his mouth shut.

The group of three exited the bank laden with a bag of money. Hagrid left Harry and Cassia to get their robes while Hagrid went to the Leaky Cauldron. The robe shop was called Madam Malkin's. Cassia and Harry were immediately greeted by a woman dressed entirely in mauve. "Hogwarts, dears?" she asked. "Just this way. We have another boy in the back."

Cassia and Harry were bustled to the back of the shop, where a pale boy stood with his arms outstretched as another woman took careful measurements of him. Harry and Cassia were put up on two other podiums and the boy looked over to them. "Hello. Hogwarts?"

Harry nodded. Cassia just stared at him. The boy had blond hair, which fell in place perfectly, and deep gray eyes. His expression was one of casual aloofness, but Cassia could see from the way his shoulders were angled, and how his gaze was locked firmly on Harry's ear rather than his eyes, that this boy didn't want to be here.

"My father is next door buying books, and mother is up the street looking at wands," he said. Cassia studied him carefully, watching as his eyes as they shifted nervously from Cassia to Harry. He was making excuses. "I think I'm going to bully them into buying me a broom, probably the Nimbus 2000. It just came out you know, and it's such a shame that first years can't bring brooms to school. I'll smuggle it in somehow, I'm sure."

He was making himself look bigger, bulking himself up. He didn't want to be the underdog here. Cassia glanced over to Harry, who was looking acutely uncomfortable. He was probably taking the boy's words at face value. Cassia always was better at reading people than Harry.

"Do you two have brooms?" he asked.

"Of course," Cassia said before Harry could answer. She wasn't about to look weak or ignorant in front of a stranger. "Who doesn't?"

"I suppose you're right," the boy said. "Say, what's your Quidditch team?"

Cassia's mind went blank. She had never heard of Quidditch in her life, but if it had teams, that meant it was a sport, right? "I don't follow too closely." She shrugged. "It doesn't really keep my attention."

"It can be boring sometimes," the boy agreed. Cassia was sure he was lying about that. He quickly changed the subject. "What house do you think you'll be in?"

"I'm waiting to find out," Cassia replied. She was rather impressed with her ability to get through the interaction without looking like a complete and utter fool.

"I think I'm going straight to Slytherin. Everyone in my family's been one. It's the best house, if you ask me," the boy said. He glanced over to the twins like he was daring them to argue with him. Harry looked over to Cassia in confusion and she shook her head. She had no clue what the boy was rambling on about, but lying with confidence was one of her few talents.

"Who's that man?" the boy suddenly asked incredulously. Cassia turned to see Hagrid standing outside the shop, juggling three enormous ice creams.

"That's Hagrid," Harry piped up, looking pleased with himself. "He works for Hogwarts."

"Isn't he some sort of servant?" the boy asked, frowning. Harry bristled. He'd quickly become incredibly fond of Hagrid.

"No, he's the gamekeeper."

"Right, like I said. I hear he gets drunk and sets fire to his bed, but he's not good for much else." The boy looked over to Cassia, almost seeking approval. Cassia blinked in surprise. The boy had singled her out as the one in charge. Well then.

She was so shocked by this realization she wasn't able to stop Harry from saying hotly, "I think he's brilliant."

"Why is he here with you?" the boy asked. He frowned. "Where are your parents?"

"Dead," Harry said curtly. Cassia closed her eyes a moment, hoping Harry hadn't completely destroyed the boy's opinion of them. Her brother was too honest for his own good.

"Oh. Sorry." The boy didn't sound very sorry, but Cassia wasn't particularly sorry about it either. "I'm Draco Malfoy by the way. Do you think we could meet up on the train?"

"I don't-" Harry started, and Cassia quickly stopped him. It would be good to have knowledgeable allies in this new world, after all.

"-see why not."

"Say, what're your names?" Draco frowned. "I don't recall if you said."

"You're all done dear," Madam Malkin said to Draco before Harry or Cassia could answer. "Right this way."

Cassia sighed in relief, and turned her glare on Harry. "What was that all about?"

"What do you mean?"

"We can't go into this alone. We need someone on the inside, and he was perfect," Cassia explained. "He probably has loads of connections and could put us in the right position to get real power."

"But Cass, he was horrid. He talked down to us, and insulted Hagrid. He was just like Dudley!"

"He might have been a right git, but he was trying to impress us," Cassia said. "And we could really use help, even if he is rude."

"Well, you can hang out with him as much as you want, but I'm not gonna be around if you do."

A spike of fear hit Cassia. She shook her head quickly. "No, I'm sorry. You're right, he was awful."

"And we have Hagrid," Harry added, though Cassia was unsure just how far Hagrid's knowledge reached. But Cassia nodded nonetheless, because the last thing she wanted was to create a divide between her and Harry. Certainly not over someone like Draco Malfoy.

Once they had finished being fitted for their robes, Cassia and Harry left the shop to join Hagrid. Cassia was rather content to eat her ice cream in silence, as she didn't quite feel like asking Hagrid how much they owed him just yet, but Harry was uncharacteristically silent. While Cassia was glad for the break, she was somewhat worried about Harry.

"What's Quidditch?" he finally asked.

"Yes, I'm rather curious. What is Quidditch?" Cassia said quickly, drawing Hagrid's attention to her.

"Blimey, I keep forgetting how much you two don't know," Hagrid marveled. "Not knowing what Quidditch is. Well, it's a bit like Muggle football I suppose, only there's four balls. And there's a lot of rules that are a bit hard to explain-er, it's played on brooms in the air. It's a right popular sport, everyone follows it. You'll be hearing lots more about it at school."

"And what's a Slytherin?" Harry asked.

"A house, right?" Cassia said. Sometimes she hated all of her brother's questions. What was going to happen when Hagrid got tired of them?

"Yeah, that's right Cassia. There's Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. Never a good wizard to come out of Slytherin I say. The whole lot's rotten. You-Know-Who was a Slytherin, you know, and so were most of his followers."

Harry nodded slowly, but Cassia frowned at Hagrid's words. So what if one wizard had been a Slytherin? It made sense that most of his followers would come from his house. And not all of them were Slytherin, so wouldn't that make the other houses just as bad?

They finished their ice cream shortly after that and made their way through the shops of Diagon Alley. Cassia had never quite understood why people liked money so much, but now that she had her own, it was wonderful. For the first time ever, she could actually buy what she wanted - not steal it, or settle for the cheap, off-brand version. She got a shiny new brass scale, a set of crystal phials, a collapsible telescope, and a pewter cauldron at a supply shop. She also nicked a small silver lid off of a set of bottles, slipping it into the baggy pocket of her pants to take out later. At the stationary store, there were self refilling quills and parchment that moved through the colors of the rainbow and ink that changed color to match your mood. Hagrid directed Cassia to the more mundane supplies, but she still snatched a self refilling quill. Logically, she knew that she didn't have to steal to get what she wanted, but it was such a habit, she couldn't seem to stop herself from grabbing the small things that caught her eye.

The bookstore was fascinating. There were thick, dusty tomes, small books with velvety covers, books that flashed in and out of sight, and all the information Cassia could ever want. Hagrid kept pushing Harry away from a book on jinxes, but Cassia slipped it in with their course books, along with Hogwarts; A History, Self-Defensive Spellwork and a few more books that caught her interest.

At the apothecary, Hagrid sought out beginner potions kits for the twins. Cassia grabbed some dried nettles off the shelves, shoving them into her pockets.

Hagrid examined Harry's list as they left the apothecary, frowning at it. "All that's left is yer wand and oh-I still hafta get yeh a birthday present."

Cassia froze. She already owed Hagrid for taking the twins to Diagon Alley and everything else- letting him get them a present would tip the scales too far. Nothing came for free. "You already got us a cake, and ice cream That was enough," she said quickly. "And we can pay you back for that now, but we don't want to put you out of your way."

"That was nothing, yeh don' owe me a thing," Hagrid said briskly. "Yeh need a real solid present. Like an animal!" He looked down at Cassia, who was standing stiff backed, arms crossed over her chest. His eyes softened. "Tell yeh what, if yeh want to pay me back so badly, yeh can come visit me while yer at Hogwarts, how's that sound?"

Cassia frowned at him. She'd much rather she gave up something more tangible, like money or one of her books, but if this was what Hagrid wanted, then she'd go along with it.

He led the way into Eeylops Owl Emporium, set on buying an owl for the twins. He claimed they were the best animal to have, more useful than either a cat or a toad, the other two animals permitted on the list.

While Harry's eye was immediately caught by a snowy owl, Cassia wandered farther back into the shop, looking at the cages. She was perfectly fine with present being geared towards Harry, as he was far more deserving of it than her.

In a cage towards the back of the shop, a speckled brown owl was perched on a bar, head tucked under it's wing. A tag label it as an Ural owl. Cassia leaned closer to it, watching.

"Yeh like that one?" Hagrid rumbled behind her. Cassia whipped around, heart pounding in her chest. She'd been so focused on the owl, she hadn't heard the giant approach.

"I don't want to put you out of your way," Cassia stammered out. "I mean, Harry likes the snowy owl."

"Well, no reason yeh can't both have what yeh want," Hagrid said matter-of-factly. Cassia rubbed her knuckles nervously, staring up at Hagrid. She really didn't want to owe Hagrid more than she had to.

"I can buy it myself," Cassia told him. She didn't want to make him angry, but she'd rather he got angry than be in debt to him. At least she knew what to expect when someone got angry.

"It's a present, Cassia," Hagrid said gently. "Yeh don't have teh take it if yeh don't want teh, but at least let me pay for half."

"Okay," Cassia relented. She'd be visiting Hagrid constantly, trying to repay him, but she didn't want to press him until he got mad. "But-this is on me. Only me."

Soon enough, the trio was leaving the shop. Harry was babbling out his thanks, clutching the snowy owlʼs cage to his chest. Cassia held on to the ural owlʼs cage, watching it - him, according to the clerk - sleep. A strange, light feeling knocked around in her chest as she looked at her new pet. It was a bit like a helium balloon had been released inside her. It was… nice.

Finally, the time came to get a wand. Cassia was rather excited about this and couldn't help the bounce in her step as they entered the shop. This was the final step in cementing her place as a part of the wizarding community. As far as Cassia could tell, everyone had a wand.

They slowly entered the shop, Cassia making up the tail end. It smelled strongly of dust, wood polish, and the faint scent of ozone Cassia had begun to associate with the release of magic. There was the certain sense of something hanging in the air, hundreds of possibilities just lying about in this tiny shop. Cassia breathed in deeply, relishing the feeling.

At first, it appeared that no one was in the shop, and Cassia was prepared to pick a wand up off a shelf and leave. Before she could, an incredibly old man appeared with a quiet greeting.

He seemed rather fragile to Cassia. He was clothed in a large black robe that seemed like it would engulf him at any moment, and a pointed hat sat on his head. Several small wisps of silver hair peeked out from under the hat, and when he turned his head, Cassia could see straight through them. He had large, pale eyes that looked a bit like headlamps in the dark of the shop, almost as if he was taking in all the light. He looked like a cartoon wizard, like at any moment he might pull out a cauldron and begin brewing potions.

"The Potters," he said, gazing at the twins. Cassia wanted to keep Harry out of his line of sight, but she suddenly had the sense that if she moved, she would ruin something. "Yes, I have been expecting you for quite some time. You both look like your father, you know, though Harry, you have your mother's eyes." Ollivander-for that was surely who this was-trailed off a moment, lost in thought.

"I sold them their wands, of course. Lily took a willow wand, ten and a quarter inches. Swishy, and good for charms. Your father selected a mahogany wand. A bit more firm, good for transfiguration. Now, he didn't select it, per se. It's the wand that chooses the wizard."

Cassia didn't particularly care about learning about her parents, but Harry was soaking in the information. She would much rather be browsing the collection of wands, but she could wait for Harry's sake.

Ollivander stepped forward, staring at Harry's forehead. The two were standing close together, and Cassia tensed, prepared to shove Ollivander away if she needed to.

"I sold the wand that gave you that," he said. "Thirteen and a half inches, yew. It was quite a powerful wand. I'm very sorry it was used in the way it was. Had I known what it would be used for…"

Harry's eyes were wide with fright, and Cassia coughed loudly, pulling Ollivander's attention from her brother. "Sorry," she apologized, trying to sound sincere. "It's the dust."

"Yes, of course, that happens often. Now, to do what you came for. Your wand arm?"

Cassia and Harry frowned at each other in confusion. "We're right handed," Harry volunteered.

"Hold out your arm then.," Ollivander said, taking out a tape measure to start measuring Harry. The tape measure began to move on it's own, and he pulled out another, allowing it to go to Cassia. Ollivander began pulling boxes off of shelves, setting them down in front of the twins. "Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Give it a wave," he said, handing it to Harry. Harry lifted his hand, but Ollivander quickly snatched it away and handed it to Cassia, before he took it away once more.

They carried on like this for quite some time, going through wands like they were candy. Ollivander seemed thrilled that the pile of wands was quickly rising, but Cassia just felt more and more despondent. What if she actually wasn't meant to be a witch? Maybe all of this was a fluke, and Cassia would be stuck with the Dursleys for the rest of her life.

As she got more and more agitated, it seemed like something was humming in her chest, trying to get out. It felt as if bees were pressing into Cassia's insides, slowly moving throughout her body. The tingling sensation reached her fingers, and as soon as Ollivander had yanked away another wand, Cassia burst.

It was like a great wind had shoved into the shop. The boxes were knocked from the shelves, wands rolling out onto the floor as their lids popped off. There was a great crack and the windows shattered outwards. The air smelled acrid, charged, like someone had set off a firework.

Ollivander giggled.

Cassia looked around the shop. She wanted to be horrified at her actions, to apologize to Ollivander, but she couldn't bring herself to. She had decimated his shop with barely a thought. If he was upset with her, what could he do? She was clearly powerful enough to stop him, but Ollivander didn't seem angry at all. In fact, he looked overjoyed.

"I have the perfect match for you."

He pulled out his own wand, giving it a careless wave, and the shop sorted itself back into order. Ollivander hurried to the depths of the shop, and Cassia looked over to see Harry staring at her.

"How did you do that?" he gasped. "You've never done that before."

Cassia shrugged. She had, in fact, blown out a window in the school building-though that had been blamed on the wind-and caused a pipe to explode in a bathroom - she'd been locked up for nearly a month after that - but she'd never told Harry about them, simply because she didn't want him to think the small miracles that occurred around him weren't unique. It was her job to protect Harry from everything she could, and Cassia didn't take that lightly.

Ollivander returned momentarily, two boxes in his hand. He handed one to each of the twins, looking positively giddy. "A holly and phoenix feather wand for Harry, eleven inches. A rather unusual combination, but I do believe it should do the trick. And for Cassia, an elder and dragon heartstring wand, twelve and a half inches."

Cassia pulled the wand from it's box, and a warmth rushed through her, spreading all around her body. Cassia confidently slashed her wand through the air, and a golden light danced around her, lazily drifting around her like it was trying to figure out just why it had been called out. It disappeared with a pop after several rotations. Cassia started at her wand in awe.

"The two of you have both been chosen by very powerful wands," Ollivander said solemnly. "I believe the two of you will do great things with these, and I can only hope it's the right thing." He looked between the twins, a frown etched into his face. "You-Know-Who's wand contains a feather from the same bird that gave you your wand, Harry. I'm afraid I can't say yet what that means for you."

They paid for the wands and left the shop, still in shock from what had occurred. Hagrid guided the twins out of the alley, into the Leaky Cauldron, onto a train, and finally into Paddington Station. In the back of her mind, Cassia knew she would regret her inattention later, but for now, she was too much in shock to do much but put one foot in front of the other.

Everything had changed. Cassia was no longer the dirty little girl that was punished for everything she did. Now she was part of a greater community. Now she might be able to actually do something with her life. It was a daunting thought, but not one that was upsetting. Cassia could hardly wait to go to Hogwarts and learn all she could.

Hagrid gave Harry and Cassia their tickets to get on the Hogwarts Express, which was a bit of a shock. Cassia hadn´t thought that wizards would use a muggle form of transportation. He gave them one final farewell, and Cassia and Harry returned to Privet Drive.

* * *

Come find me on tumblr at cassia-potter


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